Letter envelope



Mar. 6,1923. 1,447,825. 1. 0. B. TITEL.

LETTER ENVELOPE.

FILED JUNE 26' 1920- 2 SHEETS-SHEET i.

ammawzzk &

J. 0. BJTITEL. V

LETTER ENVELOPE.

Mar. 6, 1923.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FILED JUNE 26. 1920.

Patented hair. 6, 1923.

innit LETTER ENVELOPE.

Application filed June 26, 1920. Serial No. 391,956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatrJoHN O. B. TITEL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, has invented new and useful Improvements in Letter Envelopes, of which the following is a specification) The object of t he invention is to provide a relatively simple convenient form of letter sheet or letter envelope wherein a sheet of letter paper of convenient size is combined with a wrapper or envelope to avoid the necessity of using separate elements for the letter sheet and envelope as in the ordinary practice and particularly to economize in the use of paper and more pa-rticularl to provide a combined letter sheet and enve ope allowing for any desired extension or enlargement of the size of the letter sheet and hence of the area upon which the message may be written, and more es ecially to provide a device of this class w erein the same article, structure or unit consisting of the combined letter sheet and envelope ma be used for boththe message and the ad ress in a return' message to the writer of the original message, so that when a letter or circular conveying certain message has been received by the addressee and opened to expose the contents, a return or answering letter or message or order in response to the circular may be inscribed upon the same sheet which may then be re-folded and sealed or closed and returned to the original sender whose name and address may be originally.

inscribed upon a suitable surface of the article preparatory to and in contemplation of such return use, and with this object in view, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1, is a plan view of a form of letter sheet embodying the invention.

Figure 2, is a perspective view of the same folded and about to be sealed for ori inal use or for the first mailing.

igure 3, is a similar view of the article folded and ready for sealing for the second or return mailing.

Figures L, 5, and 6 are views respectively similar to Figures 1, 2 and 3. showing modified forms of the letter sheet.

Figures 7, 8, and 9 are diagrammatic views on a reduced scale of other possible modifications of letter sheet embodying the invention, providing for varying the areas or surfaces for the written message.

Referring particularly to the form of the invention which is illustrated in Figures 1,

2 and 3,'the blank embodies essentially the original or out-going and return address folds 10 and 11 disposed at opposite ends of the blank with the name and address of the original addressee written or otherwise indicated upon the exterior surface of the former and the name and the address of the addressor (the second addressee.) written, printed, or typed upon the exterior surface of the latter, such names and addresses-being applied tothe opposite surfaces or faces, as shown in Figure 1 and indicated by the dotted lines, andproviding for the folding of the sheet preparatory to mailing, so as to alternately or successively bring the outer surface of said folds into exposed positions, the process of folding being alternately from opposite ends of the blank; combined with back folds 12 and 13 connected with the main or address folds respectively, and intermediate letter folds 14 of which any desired number may be employed, are the supplemental letter folds 15 which may comprise a separate side flap as indicated in Figure 1 adapted to be folded over the main strip consisting as above noted of the terminal cover fold or back and the intermediate letter folds prior to the endwise progressive folding of the latter preparator to sealing. It will be understood by re erence to Figure 7 that a side flap which comprises the supplemental folds 15 may be disposed opposite the supplemental folds 15, the return address fold in this instance being carried by this side flap.

The address folds are provided respectively with sealing flaps 16' and 17 respectively gummed as shown at 18 and 19.and the main or primary address fold may have terminal sealing ears 20 and 21 adapted to be folded inward when the package is to be used as a circular and, therefore, not-sealed at the end but gummed as at 22 and 23 for sealing if the package is to be mailed as first class matter. Moreover one of the sealing ears aS shown at 20 may extend to have an area corresponding substantially to the address fold but forming a cover fold to cover the rear or exposed surface of the back fold 12 should it be desired to use the surface of the latter for a portion of the message and thus extend the area upon which same may be written. 1

The secondary address flap 11 is similarly provided with end sealing ears 24 and 25 gummed as at 26 and 27 which with a secondary sealing flap- 17 may be folded inward upon the surface of the inner surface of the address fold 11 when the article is originally used for the primary message and may subsequently be extended when the package is to be re-mailed to the original sender.

In the construction illustrated, the sealing ear 24 atone end of the secondary ad dress flap is formed as a part of the terminal auxiliary flap 15 and is connected therewith by a perforated separation line 28 to permit of detachment when the article is to be re-mailed as a return message.

Also the two halves of the blank may be connected with the main sheet by perforated separation line 29 to permit of detachment of said auxiliary leaf when the package is to be used for re-mailing. to the sender as for example when the auxiliary leaf or flap 15 is employed for the original message from the addressee leaving the surface of the main flap unused for receiving the re turn message from the addressee.

The method of folding the article originally to be forwarded by the addressor consists in laterally folding the auxiliary flap over and into vertical co-extens-ive relation with the main body of the sheet, the sealing flaps of the address fold 11 being folded inward out of the way and then beginning with the secondary address fold 11, the sheet should be folded consecutively or progressively toward the main or primary addressfold until the body portion of the sheet ends comes into contact with the sealing flap and sealing ears carried by the main address fold as will be seen by reference to Figure 2.

The corners of the sealing flap and the seahng ears are cut away or truncated as indicated at 29 and said sealing flap and ears are connected with the address fold bv perforated separation lines 30 so that when the package is received by the addressee and is to be opened, a knife blade or pencil point or any similar comparatively small instrument may be inserted through the notches or openings provided by the cut away portions or truncations of said flap and ears and the package may be opened by ripping the structure on the perforated lines.

Similar notches or cut away rtion 31 are provided at the corners of t e sealing flap 17 and ears 24 and 25 of the secondary address flap and corresponding separation lines or perforations 32 may be arranged at the intersections of said sealing flaps and ears of the secondary address flap to facilitate the opening of the package when received by the original addressor as a return message, the relations of the parts being then reversed by the rolling or folding of the elements consecutively or progressively from the end occupied by the original ad'- dressee fold so as tobrmg the secondary address fold uppermost when the same was placed in the mail by the original addressee for return mailing to the addressor as indicated in Figure 3.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 the structure corresponds in so far as the main features are concerned with the main body of the sheet shown in the form illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 with the side flap comprising the auxiliary folds 15 omitted in that said modified construction embodies the main and secondary address folds 10 and 11*, back folds 12 and 13 and the desired number of intermediate sealing ears 20 and 21 and 24 and 25 and suitably gumm'ed to provide for original and return sealing if the package is to be mailed as first class matter or to be inturned or detached if the same is to be forwarded as third class matter.

In the form illustrated in Figures 4:,

5 and 6, there appears the additional feature of a tongue- 34 on the sealing flap of the main address fold for engagement with a slit 35 in the back fold 12 for use when the article is to be used as a circular and hence to be mailed as third class matter.

In the construction illustrated, diagrammatically in Figure 7 as hereinbefore noted the auxiliary or side flap consisting of a series of auxiliary folds having edges disposed in parallel relation with the main sheet which may be duplicated at the opposite side of the letter as shown at 15 while in the diagrammatic form illustrated in Figure 8, the construction corresponds essentially with the single form of blank shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, with the exception that both the primary address fold 10 and the back fold 12 are provided with end sealing ears 36 and 37 for attachment when the package is to be mailed as first class matter in the first instance while the secondaryor return address fold 11 and the adjacent back'fold 13 are provided with end sealing cars 38 and 39.

The invention having been described,

what is claimed as new and useful is 1. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in coextensive relation from either end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds; 2. A combined letteri sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in co-extensive "relation from either end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds, said primary and secondary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps.

3. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds, connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in co-extensive' relation from either end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds, said primary and second ary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps having giunmed edges.

4. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds, connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in co-extensive relation from either end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds, said primary and secondary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps, and having terminal sealing ears.

5. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds, connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in co-extensiverelation from either-end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds, said primary and secondary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps and end sealing ears, said sheet being provided at an intermediate point of its length with a perforated separation line.

6. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds, connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in co-extensive relation from either end to alternately expose said primary and secondary address folds, said primary and secondary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps and end sealing ears, the intermediate folds being provided terminally with extensions forming a foldable leaf, and consisting of a plurality of auxiliary folds respectively (yo-extensive with the corresponding folds of the body portion of the blank.

8. A combined letter sheet and envelope having a blank provided with terminal primary and secondary address folds, connected by a series of related back and intermediate folds, progressively foldable in coextensive relation from either end to alternately expose said primaryand secondary address folds, said primary and secondary address folds being provided respectively with sealing flaps and end sealin ears, the intermediate folds being provi ed terminally with extensions forming a foldable leaf, and consisting of a plurality of auxiliary folds respectively co-extensive with the corresponding folds of the body portion of the blank, and a perforated line of separation being disposed between the body portion of the sheet and said side leaf.

In testimony whereof he affixes his sig- 105 nature.

JOHN O. B. TITEL. 

